Biography

Head of School of Humanities

Academic appointments

2006-present: Associate Professor of History, The University of Auckland 1999-2005: Senior Lecturer in History, The University of Auckland 1992-1998: Lecturer in History, The University of Auckland 1990-1991: Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri-Columbia. 1989-1990: Lecturer, Charles Sturt University Bathurst, NSW.

Research | Current

Australian history

History of migration

Oceanic history

Irish history

Historical theory and method

Following the completion of my PhD, a regional study of Irish immigration to and settlement in nineteenth century Australia, my research broadened to encompass the global dimensions of Irish emigration in the century after 1815. In particular, my work has focussed on the contrasting historiographies of Irish settlement in New World societies. I have an international reputation as a leading scholar in the comparative study of Irish immigration and settlement.

My most recent book, Ireland’s New Worlds: Immigrants, Politics and Society in the United States and Australia, 1815-1922 published by the University of Wisconsin press in its History of Ireland and the Irish Diaspora series, reflects my interest in the possibilities of comparative history. I currently have two research projects currently under way. The first is a major book entitled Ireland’s Furthest Shores: The Irish in the Pacific World. It examines trans-Pacific connections from the Western Americas through the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand in the period from the late eighteenth century until the mid-twentieth century. The book has been supported by a University of Auckland Vice Chancellor’s University Development Fund grant. The second project, influenced by History's spatial turn, explores cultural encounters between the Indian and Pacific Oceans from the fifteenth century.

Teaching | Current

I was initially appointed to teach undergraduate courses in Australian History. However, my teaching portfolio has broadened to reflect shifts in my own research interests and to respond to changes in the History curriculum. In 2001 I was part of a team that introduced History 103: Global History. This course was conceived to meet student demand for a course in world or global history and has proved popular since its introduction. In 2002, I introduced Stage 2 and 3 courses in modern Irish History. I also teach courses on historiography and historical method.